AN internationally recognised entrepreneurial boot camp comes to Belfast this month — its first ever visit to Ireland.
Thanks to Lean Startup Machine, aspiring entrepreneurs will now have a new avenue to test their ideas and products with customers.
The event received more than 300 online votes in just eight days in order to ‘unlock’ Belfast as the next location for its immersive, 48-hour educational experience that gets businesses ‘fit’ for purpose.
New York headquartered LSM aims to help entrepreneurs gain feedback and earlystage revenue from their first products and is based on the Lean Startup Methodology, helping early stage businesses quickly develop and capitalise on a product or service.
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Eric Ries created the methodology around 2008 while he was an adviser to the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins.
Taking the lead in delivering the weekend, Diane Roberts of Xcell Partners, said: “Lean Startup Machine is one of the world’s leading workshops of its kind and aims to teach participants a process for discovering which ideas or products will succeed in the marketplace and which won’t — like an intense fitness bootcamp for businesses.
“We are delighted to be able to offer the 48-hour event to the many inspired start-ups we have here and invite anyone with an idea to come along and get their business validated.”
The event is at The Hub on Commercial Court, Belfast from June 20-22, and is sponsored by Invest NI, Tughans Solicitors, Microsoft Ventures, Elance, John Mac Mahon & Co, Xcell Partners andStartupZap.
It is limited to 50 participants, who will receive guidance and mentoring from other entrepreneurs.
Lean Startup Machine has visited 50 different cities and has reached over 25,000 entrepreneurs, and has 300 events planned in 2014.